History

The roots of the Deceuninck - Quick-Step Cycling Team heritage took hold in the team’s debut year during the 2003 season, under the name Quick Step-Davitamon. From 2003 to 2010 the team captured more than 280 victories and 16 Classics. Paolo Bettini also gave the team 2 World Cup Titles (2003-2004) and an Olympic Gold Medal (Athens 2004). The team won three Road World Championships, with Boonen in 2005 and Bettini in 2006 and 2007, while Michael Rogers won on three occasions the World ITT Championship (2003-2005).

The squad has also captured 30 stages in the major Tours: 16 at Tour de France, 5 at Giro d’Italia, 9 at Vuelta a España. Virenque wore the polka dot jersey twice in the Tour de France and has become the rider with the most victories in the polka dot jersey classification, which we won seven times. Add to this the points jersey won at the Giro d’Italia by Paolo Bettini in 2005 and 2006 and the green jersey as leader of the points classification captured by Tom Boonen in the 2007 Tour de France.

These important numbers have made the team one of the most recognized and established outfits in the world and a leading team in the classics thanks to the talents of Tom Boonen and Paolo Bettini, the two riders who have made lasting impressions in the team’s history.

2010-2012

The Czech Businessman Mr Zdenek Bakala took over the team at the end of 2010. While the team was busy restructuring and preparing with behind-the-scenes operations in 2011, 2012 proved to be an extraordinary year. Omega Pharma – Quick-Step collected 60 victories in 2012, including a return to Classics glory for Tom Boonen. He broke or matched several records. He was the first rider in cycling history to win E3 Harelbeke, Gent–Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix in the same year. “Tornado Tom” was also the first rider to earn the Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix Double twice in his career. Last, but certainly not least, the Belgian cobble crusher equaled the record of Roger De Vlaeminck by winning his fourth career Paris-Roubaix. Boonen also won the Belgian National Road Championship, and the Paris-Brussels one-day race. Finally, Boonen was a part of the UCI World Team Time Trial Championship winning team in September, as Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team won the inaugural gold medal in that event.

German rider Tony Martin, who signed with the team in 2012, showed everyone why he is the best time trial rider on the planet. He won the overall classification at the Tour of Belgium after taking victory in the time trial, as well as the German National Time Trial Championship, his second straight UCI World Time Trial Championship after also being part of the UCI World Team Time Trial Championship Team. He closed out the season with the overall victory at the Tour of Beijing after winning yet another time trial stage. Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team also had bragging rights for the most national champions on any team in the 2012 UCI World Tour. Nine riders won gold in either the road or time trial disciplines.

2013

In 2013 the team continued to develop its international ambitions and earned 63 victories, with several highlights. 2013 marked the debut of Mark Cavendish in the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step jersey, and the Manx Missile made an immediate impact in the sprints. He won his first race with the team at the Tour de San Luis, then went on to win four stages as well as the overall at the Tour of Qatar. As for the presence of Cavendish in the Grand Tours, he won five stages at the Giro d’Italia and took home the Maglia Rossa, otherwise known as the Red (Points) jersey. He broke the 100-win career mark at the Giro. Furthermore, the 2013 British Road Champion won two stages at the Tour de France, bringing his career stage wins in Le Tour to a total of twenty-five.

Time trial legend Tony Martin shined in his second year with the team, winning time trials throughout the year including at the Tour de France, the German National Time Trial Championship, and a third consecutive UCI World Time Trial Championship. He was also a key factor in the second UCI World Team Trial Championship for Omega Pharma – Quick-Step. Matteo Trentin, a blossoming Italian rider, won a spectacular stage in Lyon at the Tour de France, as did Zdenek Stybar at the Vuelta a España. As for national championships, six different riders won either road or time trial championships for their respective nations on the road, and Czech rider Zdenek Stybar also won the Czech National Championship in cyclocross.

The victories in 2013 were spread between 18 different riders, showing that the depth of talent within the team was unlike any previous teams in the organization.

2014

While 2013 seemed like a tough season to beat in terms of victories and overall dominance, in 2014 Omega Pharma – Quick Step was the winningest team for the third year in a row, thanks to 68 overall wins (64 on the road), which was the third consecutive year the team surpassed 60 victories in a season. The diversity of the dominance in 2014 was unlike any other year in the team’s history.

Zdenek Stybar started off the season strong for the team, winning the UCI World Cyclo-cross Championship in February. Dutch rider Niki Terpstra got the victory momentum going early, winning a stage and the overall at the Tour of Qatar, while his teammate Tom Boonen also won two stages. Terpstra nabbed the victory in Dwars door Vlaanderen, and capped off his season with the biggest triumph of his career: Paris-Roubaix. Terpstra attacked after a perfectly executed race by Omega Pharma – Quick-Step, and went on to take a solo victory in the race known to many as the “Hell of the North.”

Rigoberto Uran, who joined the team in 2014, showed his abilities for the Grand Tour General Classification at the Giro d’Italia. The Colombian rider won the ITT from Barbaresco to Barolo, which meant he took the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey) of the overall leader. He was the first Colombian rider to earn that honour. He spent three stages in the GC lead, and went on to become the first Omega Pharma – Quick-Step rider to finish on the Giro d’Italia GC podium (2nd place). Tony Martin dominated the time trials once again, winning his second straight overall at Tour of Belgium, and both the Tour de France and Vuelta a España time trial stages in addition to yet another German National Time Trial Championship. However, Martin had a career first with a brilliant solo attack in the 9th stage of the Tour de France, giving him his first ever road race victory in a Grand Tour.

Matteo Trentin won a Tour de France stage for a second straight year, becoming one of 19 different Omega Pharma – Quick-Step riders with a victory in the 2014 season. Several young cyclists won stages or overall classifications throughout the year, such as Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Trentin, Julian Alaphilippe, Julien Vermote, and Petr Vakoc.

However, Michal Kwiatkowski had the top moment of the season. He attacked in the final kilometers of the UCI World Road Championship, and became the first Polish rider to earn the Rainbow Stripes in the road race. Kwiatkowski displayed his all-rounder abilities earlier in the season with victories at Strade Bianche, Tour de Romandie (ITT), the Polish Time Trial Championship, and a road stage at Tour of Britain shortly before the Worlds. Kwiatkowski, which means “Flower” in Polish, showed his power all season long, including podium places in the Ardennes Classics, such as Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

2015

On the 21st of July 2014, during the rest day of Tour de France, Omega Pharma – Quick-Step proudly announced that the team had secured its future through 2017 thanks to the extended commitment of owner Mr Bakala, and also crucial support from its sponsors.

Since 2015 the official name for the team has been Etixx – Quick-Step. Just this past season the team scored 56 victories, 54 of those on the road. For the fourth year in a row the team was the most victorious squad in the cycling world. Spring successes were highlighted by Michal Kwiatkowski’s victory in Amstel Gold Race, which coincided with the first triumph in the team’s history at the Dutch classic, Stybar’s win in Strade Bianche and a splendid victory by Iljo Keisse in the last stage of the Giro d’Italia.

In the summer, the team shined on the roads of the Tour de France, recording three stage wins with Martin, Stybar and Cavendish. Memories of the Tour are intricately linked to the incredible story of Tony Martin. Although he managed to wear the yellow jersey after a brave attack in the stage arriving at Cambrai, the German champion saw his dreams go up in smoke after a brutal crash in the Le Havre stage, the same day in which Zdenek Stybar triumphed on the difficult arrival with a splendid solo act. The image of Tony supported by his team all the way to the finish line will remain indelible in the memories of the team’s fans and its history.

The season final also brought tremendous satisfaction, with a splendid victory by Rigoberto Uran in the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec, which relaunched the Colombian talent’s season after an unfortunate Giro d’Italia. Last but not least worth noting is Matteo Trentin’s victory in Paris-Tours with an incredible average speed record of 49.641 Km/h, which earned him the prize of the Yellow Ribbon as the fastest rider in history in a race longer than 200 kilometres.

In September 2015, the team also announced the arrival of a prestigious partner in 2016, the Lidl supermarket chain. “I don’t need to hide it; besides the team’s image and its impact on cycling, their success and results also helped convince the sponsors to go on”, Team CEO Patrick Lefevere said. “So, this is the product of a winning team. It’s a lot of work to gather all the pieces of a winning team, the riders and the staff. I’m really proud of the staff I work with every day to reach common goals. I take care of my sponsors and do my best with my team to keep them happy and performing. Right now we are one of the most established teams in cycling. Thanks to the help of our owner Mr Bakala and our sponsors, we can build toward even more success in our future as possible.”

2016

Etixx – Quick-Step began its 14th season with a collective victory in the Tour de San Luis TTT and went on winning until the World Championships in Qatar, where the outfit managed by Patrick Lefevere took two wins, in the team time trial (where it set a new record of three victories) and the ITT, where German powerhouse Tony Martin outclassed his opponents.

Throughout the season, Etixx – Quick-Step won a total of 9 Grand Tour stages and saw four of its riders lead a three-week race (Marcel Kittel, Gianluca Brambilla and Bob Jungels at the Giro d’Italia, David De La Cruz at the Vuelta a España). The team was prominent in one-day races, winning 12 and placing riders on the podium at Paris-Roubaix and Flèche Wallonne, two of the spring’s most important Classics, but also in week-long races, through the likes of Dan Martin (third in both Volta a Catalunya and Critérium du Dauphiné), Julian Alaphilippe (Tour of California champion and Dauphiné best young rider) or Niki Terpstra (winner of the Eneco Tour).

Marcel Kittel confirmed his status as one of the world’s best sprinters by taking a total of 12 victories, while Tom Boonen proved that age is just a number, as he enjoyed a solid season which saw him notch three wins. In his first year with the team, Bob Jungels finished his maiden Giro d’Italia in sixth position and went on to take home the prestigious white jersey after an impressive ride, while neo-pro Fernando Gaviria showed his talent by nabbing seven wins – one of which came in Paris-Tours – a remarkable feat for the young Colombian, who competed against some of the peloton’s top figures.

18 of the team’s 30 riders notched at least one win in 2016, underlining the team’s fantastic depth and cohesion, for a total of 56 road victories at the end of the year, which took the team’s all-time tally to more than 550 successes.

2017

From January until October, Quick-Step Floors left its mark on races across four continents and 15 different countries, once again finishing the season as the team with the most victories in the bag. A staggering 59 wins, scored by 13 riders, showcased the extraordinary quality and depth of the squad, which took its all time tally to 615 successess.

In the Grand Tours, our outfit scored an unbelievable 16 stage wins (5 at the Giro d’Italia, 5 at the Tour de France, 6 at the Vuelta a España), making Quick-Step Floors the third team in modern history to achieve so many victories in the season’s Grand Tours. On top of that, Bob Jungels won the white jersey for the second consecutive year at the Corsa Rosa, on his way to a top 10 overall finish, while Dan Martin concluded the Tour de France in sixth place, Ireland’s best result in three decades.

Philippe Gilbert wrote history at the legendary Ronde van Vlaanderen, taking a memorable solo win in the Belgian Champion jersey, after attacking 55 kilometers from the finish once Quick-Step Floors blew the race apart, before completing a rare seen cobbled classic – Ardennes classic double two weeks later, when he sprinted to victory at Amstel Gold Race.

Fernando Gaviria (the first Colombian in history to win the points classification in a Grand Tour) and Julian Alaphilippe (winner of a Grand Tour stage, as well as two distinctive jerseys in Paris-Nice), stepped up a notch and confirmed their huge potential – which at the moment seems to have no limits – while neo-pro Enric Mas showed why he’s been heralded as Spain’s next Grand Tour contender, with an impressive ride at the Vuelta a España, his maiden Grand Tour.

In October, another stand-out victory was netted by Matteo Trentin in Paris-Tours, making Quick-Step Floors the first squad in the commercial team era to win the French Classic in three consecutive years, before Fernando Gaviria brought down the curtain over this fantastic season with a poker of victories at the Tour of Guangxi, which saw our squad finish the year with an astonishing 30 World Tour wins, an all-time record for Quick-Step Floors.

2018

It was a magnificent year that kicked off in January, at the Tour Down Under, and concluded in China, at the Tour of Guangxi, where Quick-Step Floors nabbed the 73rd UCI win of the campaign, wrapping up in the process the World Tour Team Classification, the cherry on the top of an outstanding season, during which our riders got on the podium a mind-blowing 152 times.

Memorable triumphs at Ronde van Vlaanderen, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, E3 Harelbeke, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Schledeprijs, Flèche Wallonne, Clasica San Sebastian and Cyclassics Hamburg made Quick-Step Floors the dominant force in the Classics, but our squad kept the winning momentum going also in the Grand Tours, where for the third consecutive year we amassed the most stage victories (13 with five different riders).

At the Giro d’Italia, Elia Viviani captured four stage wins en route to his success in the points classification, while at the Tour de France – after a stint of Fernando Gaviria in the prized yellow jersey – Julian Alaphilippe took the race by storm, soloing to a brace of stage victories which catapulted him at the top of the KOM standings. Vuelta a España brought to the fore Enric Mas, who finished runner-up and as best young rider of the race at just 23 years of age, after putting in a dazzling performance throughout the three weeks of the race.

In September, Innsbruck played host to the World Championships, and Quick-Step Floors’ sextet – comprising neo-pro Kasper Asgreen, Laurens De Plus, Bob Jungels, Yves Lampaert, Maximilian Schachmann and Niki Terpstra – produced a stunning ride over the tough 62.4km-long course, taking the gold medals and savouring a fourth team time trial title, made even sweeter by the fact it was the last ever edition for trade teams.

The vintage season we enjoyed in 2018 saw 15 of our riders win races in 22 different countries spread across five continents and leave a long-lasting impression not only with the quantity and quality of victories (37 of which came in the World Tour), but also with the extraordinary The Wolfpack spirit, which served as confirmation of the great family that is Quick-Step Floors.

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